HELENA — 2020 will mark the 85th anniversary of the Montana Highway Patrol.
To celebrate the occasion, MHP debuted a new anniversary car design Friday on social media.
In contrast to the current black design, the retro design is white with a 1985 MHP logo on the door.
Several of the new cars are already out on Montana roads, and around 50 of the anniversary cars are being deployed around the state.
MHP vehicles are assigned based on mileage. Once a trooper reaches 100,000 miles on a sedan or 150,000 miles on an SUV they are given a new vehicle.
The Montana Highway Patrol was created in 1935 as a response to Montana seeing a 74 percent rise in highway fatalities from 1933 to 1934.
There are currently more than 200 troopers that police Montana’s highways and around 300 vehicles in MHP's fleet.
